6 ILADS 2011 Conference

I was kinda expecting that at some point, this sign would show up on my feed: No Burrascano. Missed part of Maloney. Horowitz was also MIA. Only got to see part of Jones, as I'd already taken a coffee break. Maybe tomorrow will be better if I can haul myself out of bed early on a Saturday... If. More on this event in the future - especially if there is more to see. This work by Camp Other is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licen...

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0 Stony Brook Young Investigators Series On Lyme Disease

Ixodus ticks that carry B.burgdorferi. Photo Credit: http://www.freewebs.com/ lymeandautism/GF-596-4ticks_cm.jpg Stony Brook University has an online journal of science called The Young Investigators where students from the school write an in-depth article with citations on different topics. Nadya Peresleni, Editor in Chief of the journal and undergraduate class of 2011, wrote a report on Lyme disease that I think is pretty good - it's detailed, touches upon the controversy over treatment in a matter-of-fact manner, describes the immunological...

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0 News: New Molecular Test Could Detect Early Lyme Disease

The Guardian has written about a new molecular test using nanoparticles which was developed by Alessandra Luchini, of George Mason University, to initially detect cancers. The new test is being used in clinical trials to detect early Lyme disease - even if there is no rash present in the infected patient. Excerpt that will be of interest to readers: "Q: In years to come, is this something that could be available in hospitals? That's the hope we have. The first clinical trial is on the detection of Lyme disease. A fraction of patients get...

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0 News: Antibiotic Shortages Affect Patients

This just in from the Internal Medicine website: Antimicrobial Shortages Affect Patient Quality. For those who are treating tickborne illnesses, this excerpt may be particularly of importance to you: "The drugs reported most frequently to be unavailable or in short supply include the intravenous formulation of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), amikacin (Amikin), aztreonam (Azactam), foscarnet (Foscavir), and penicillin G." Other drugs are listed as well, of which the shortage will affect many people this flu season as one of them is Tamiflu. (Now...

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0 Where Have All The Sane Lyme Patients Gone?

Here is an exchange I've seen elsewhere on the internet, names removed to place more focus on the content: Do you think that morgellons stuff is a joke? Or lida mattman saying that Lyme can be transmitted by doorknobs and pens? Or that every sample she's ever seen shows Lyme? No, those who put forth these theories are not joking. And no, I do NOT believe these things. And YES, I think they are damaging. there are minions ready to believe anything. This is true --patients who remain ill and find themselves fighting mainstream...

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0 Abstract: European neuroborreliosis: neuropsychological findings 30 months post-treatment.

European neuroborreliosis: neuropsychological findings 30 months post-treatment. Eikeland, R., Ljøstad, U, Mygland, Å., Herlofson, K., Løhaugen, G. C. European Journal of Neurology.1468-1331. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03563.x Background:  The aim of this study was to compare neuropsychological (NP) functioning in patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) 30 months after treatment to matched controls. Methods:  We tested 50 patients with LNB and 50 controls with the trail-making test (TMT), Stroop test, digit symbol...

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1 Chalcolithic Iceman Had Lyme Disease Over 5,000 Years Ago

Ötzi, The Iceman, Cometh... Thanks goes out to Joanne, from the Looking At Lyme Disease blog for posting about an article from National Geographic on the Iceman, a mummified man who had died over 5,000 years ago and has been a treasure trove of information for scientists ever since. The original article is found here: Iceman Autopsy - Unfrozen: There was only one way scientists could unlock the mystery of the famous Iceman. Take away his ice. Source Link: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/11/iceman-autopsy/hall-text The entire article...

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0 Reader Mail Bag: What Lyme Disease Research Is Needed?

A reader, Misty, recently commented on my request for topics for discussion this week: "I like all your ideas for topics - and hope you'll be able to continue posting. I love your "blog - it is one of the most sane Lyme sites on the web, if not the most sane and balanced. What I wonder is - do we have enough information and diagnostic tools to be able to design useful studies on Lyme? - we can't tell reliably who has it or doesn't - the manifestations of Lyme in each person can be different and based on complications of co-infections and the...

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0 Article: Equine Borreliosis

Came across this article on equine Borreliosis, "The State of Lyme Disease". If you are a horse owner, it's important to know the common symptoms of equine Lyme disease: shifting leg lameness, myalgia (muscle pain), dermal hypersensitivity, behavior changes, weight loss, uveitis, and neurological signs. Sounds similar to the symptoms that people get with Lyme disease. An interesting point to be made in this article is about the value of retesting in horses: "It is also difficult to determine response to treatment with serological testing,...

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4 Admin Update: Scavenger Hunt Extension, Vote On Topics, Busyness

To my readers: Hope you have been having a decent week and that this weekend is a good one, too. As for me... I have been either busy or markedly unwell during the past week and a half, thus the slow down in posting frequency here. I think there's a correlation there, too: Any time I do not get enough rest and push a little more than I should, I end up paying for it.  This has been what has happened recently, and today I had a really hard time getting out of bed. Hopefully this weekend will be better. Lyme Disease Research Scavenger...

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